House committee advances Mayorkas impeachment articles, teeing up historic floor vote

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Wed Jan 31, 2024, 04:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: CBS News

Updated on: January 31, 2024 / 10:24 AM EST


Washington — The House Homeland Security Committee voted to advance articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas early Wednesday, teeing up a floor vote that could make Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years.

After a 15-plus-hour meeting that at times grew contentious, the GOP-led committee voted 18-15 along party lines to advance two impeachment articles to the House floor, where Republicans hold a slim majority. Debate and votes on the articles are expected next week.

House Republicans on Sunday released the impeachment articles against President Biden's top immigration official, accusing him of "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and "breach of public trust" over the administration's handling of the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

GOP Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, the committee's chairman, said the panel had "exhausted all other options" to hold Mayorkas accountable for defying laws passed by Congress. "We cannot allow this man to remain in office any longer," he said. "The time for accountability is now." House Democrats characterized the impeachment effort as a "sham" and said the articles lack evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors — the constitutional basis for impeachment.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mayorkas-impeachment-articles-house-homeland-security-vote/

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Article updated.

Original article -

Updated on: January 31, 2024 / 1:24 AM EST


Washington — The House Homeland Security Committee voted to advance articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday, teeing up a floor vote that could make Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years.

After a 15-plus-hour meeting that at times grew contentious, the GOP-led committee voted 18-15 along party lines to advance two impeachment articles to the House floor, where Republicans hold a slim majority. Debate and votes on the the articles are expected next week.

House Republicans on Sunday released the impeachment articles against President Biden's top immigration official, accusing him of "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and "breach of public trust" over the administration's handling of the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

GOP Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, the committee's chairman, said the panel had "exhausted all other options" to hold Mayorkas accountable for defying laws passed by Congress. "We cannot allow this man to remain in office any longer," he said. "The time for accountability is now." House Democrats characterized the impeachment effort as a "sham" and said the articles lack evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors — the constitutional basis for impeachment.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. House Repubs should watch their asses.

Once their articles of impeachment go to the floor, all their shenanigans (hindering immigration and border reforms) will be revealed publicly. There goes the November re-elections for many of them.

[Maraya1969]

18. Yea, couldn't the Dems make a big deal about how the rethugs are refusing the money

being offered to them by the President for the border? They are trying to impeach this guy for not protecting the border and yet when they get all this money to fix the border they say, "NO"

I bet some of our smart senators could make this into a big deal that makes it to the news.

[DemMedic]

2. Yes, impeach the guy

Because Congress refuses to do its job.

Seems kind of upside down, right?

[sop]

3. If impeached by the House GOP, Mayorkas will likely be acquitted of the charges in the Senate trial.

A two-thirds Senate majority would be needed to convict and remove him from office

[BumRushDaShow]

4. I saw some news sites that indicated the Senate actually has an option to ignore it

And just found this that offered that argument due to how the provision is written in the Consitituion - vesting the "sole power" of impeachment and "sole power" to try an impeachment, to the House and Senate respectively (with no specifics for if/when/how they would do this, leaving it up to each chamber) - https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/can-senate-decline-try-impeachment-case

[AnrothElf]

10. Thank you for mentioning this, and the link!

Considering how ignorant so many congresscritters are of the constitution, it seems wise to spread this idea of getting the Senate to ignore the House impeachment (should it pass) as far and wide as we can.

I'll help in my circles.

Maybe make your comment an OP and flesh it out a bit more? I'd recc that with ALL my sockpuppets (just kidding! I don't have any!)

[BumRushDaShow]

11. This possibility was all new to me

so I definitely haven't had time to delve into the arguments and counter-arguments enough to even consider doing an OP. But it brings up interesting points. Most of the impeachments to date have been judges, and they tend to "quietly" happen behind the scenes of the media. But the Presidential ones obviously get attention as is this Department head one given that it would be almost unprecedented, with reports, IIRC, that only one other time has something like that occurred. But we know that the GOP does things "for show" and doesn't care if it makes any legal sense to do it.

[AnrothElf]

15. It's sounds to me like it would take the will of the Senate.

There's a couple rotten apples in the Dem senate, and a handful of conservative Dems (I refuse to call them "moderates"... the Overton Window is too far to the right, already).

But maybe... I boosted the Lawfare article without comment on Mastodon and already a couple favs, so...

If Senate Dem leaders have the will, they could whip support to quash this impeachment... maybe.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. The hope is

a few swing-state GOP members to vote against it along with all Democrats to kill it in the House. Tthe GOP is down to only 219 members (and at the moment 218 with Scalise out) who are left to vote at the moment due to vacancies (and "out sick", since they have no "proxy voting" Rule).

Having 432/431 available divided 2 + 1 means (D)s just need 3 or 4 (R)s to vote "no" to reach what would be a majority of 216/217. Any other non-voters or "present" voters could affect the tally as well.

[AnrothElf]

20. This is the way.

[Mr.Bill]

13. Wouldn't it be better

if we force them to vote to remove him, then hang that around their necks in an election year? It will go on record as a purely partisan vote.

If the Democrats choose to ignore it, then they will say we were afraid to bring it to a vote.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. The issue when it comes to a "House impeachment" and a "Senate trial"

is that ALL business (including other hearings, general Committee meetings, and Committee legislative markups, etc), CEASES, and they have to direct full attention to those extraordinary processes.

Meanwhile the department appropriations bills have STILL not been completed yet.

[Mr.Bill]

16. But we could do like McConnel with the Trump impeachment trial

and not allow testimony from any witnesses. IIRC, that one didn't take very long.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. With the GOP now having 3 vacancies and Scalise out sick, meaning only 218 "votes"

if just a handful of GOP swing-state members vote "no", it will deep-six the whole thing, and it'll never get to the Senate.

[Mr.Bill]

21. Of course that would be the best outcome.

No argument there. I was just speaking about what to do if it did get to the Senate.

[BumRushDaShow]

22. You already have some Senate GOPers balking at it

and I expect a number of them also pissed off at Johnson "DOAing" the work they are doing with the border bill. So all kinds of interesting things might or might now happen.

[yankee87]

5. Important things

God forbid these morons work on police reform, immigration reform, and any of the myriad problems that always need to be updated.

[Papaw Buck]

6. Defense Secretary?

Isn't he Homeland security?

[BumRushDaShow]

7. They were asleep at that time of morning when the vote finally happened

They did finally update it 9 hours later (added the update as I was not home when they did the update).

[LudwigPastorius]

8. The GOP beclowns itself once again.

Gallup has the current House approval rating at 15%.

...and THIS is what they think is going to turn things around for them.

[OMGWTF]

9. The rancid Rethuglican party has got NOTHING ELSE to run on. Fuck 'em; fuck 'em all.

[Evolve Dammit]

12. Such total BS. Pure theatre.